ASHBURN, Va. – Jay Gruden said what was expected, raving about each of the Redskins’ seven picks Saturday. It’s what he’s supposed to do. Yet they clearly liked something about each of these players. And inside his quotes you can see a theme: Each player has a level of toughness they like. There’s also consistent mention of special teams.
That said, here's what Gruden had to say about the final seven picks:
WR Jamison Crowder (fourth round): “We liked his big-play ability. He can return punts, obviously. That’s obviously exciting. Very productive college football player, very tough, and he’s going to be an instant playmaker for us. So, that’s going to be a good one.”
2015 NFL DRAFT RECAP
G Arie Kouandjio (fourth round): “Big, physical offensive guard. You talk about offensive line depth, you can never have too many big guys that can move the pile – powerful people. Knowing him and talking to him at the combine, he’s a very good person who works very, very hard. Very detailed in what he does, and he’ll be a good fit for us.”
LB Martrell Spaight (fifth round): “Very productive player. A one-year player who really did some things in college as a linebacker, physical linebacker. Makes a ton of plays. Very, very productive in the games that he played. Very exciting. He likes to hit; you can see that. He doesn’t back down from any contact. He’ll be a player to be reckoned with, I promise you that. Very tough player.”
S Kyshoen Jarrett (sixth round): “Similar type. A little bit undersized for a safety, he’s 5-foot-10 but when he brings it, he brings it. He’s a tough guy. I think he’s going to be very good on special teams and he’s going to have to try to work his way into the lineup. But, very physical player, very productive player at Virginia Tech, and we like what we saw on tape. And we like his demeanor and the way he plays. Physically tough, makes up for not being 6-foot-2 or 6-foot-1 by his physical toughness and his ability to play special teams.”
CB Tevin Mitchel (sixth round): “Did a lot of work on Tevin. He had an excellent pro day, has excellent measurables, 6-foot tall. He was relegated mostly to playing nickel at Arkansas. But, I think with the measurables that he has, there is a role for him. He can run and did some good things at the nickel position.”
WR Evan Spencer (sixth round): “When you watch him play, you look at his stats, you’re like, ‘Why would they draft him?’ But this guy is a very tough football player. He’s big, he’s fast, he’s physical. He’s going to be a demon on special teams. He’s going to make it hard on everybody to make a move with him but I think he’s going to be here for a while just because of his mental makeup. He’s a heck of a person. He’s going to work extremely hard and when you have a guy who’s that big and that fast, loves the competition, loves to play the special teams, loves to block safeties and corners and all that, you’ll find a spot for him on the football team.”
C Austin Reiter (seventh round): “You watch him on tape and he does some really good things. He’s a good solid center. He’ll come in and fit in the mix and come in and compete like the rest of these guys. I think the motto of this draft really is that these are all good football players, proven football players, very productive in college. Tough, love to play, and we’re excited to get to see them.”